Elizabeth Taylor v. Alki David trial ends in hung jury

LOS ANGELES, USA – The Elizabeth Taylor v. Alki David trial ended in a mistrial Tuesday, when the jury failed to reach a verdict on the sexual harassment and wrongful termination claims brought against Alki David and four companies affiliated with David.

The mistrial came after the jury deadlocked on an 8 to 4 vote in favor of David.  The plaintiff was represented by Lisa Bloom.

David represented himself, and the corporate defendants, FiilmOn.TV, Inc., Hologram USA, Inc. and Hologram Entertainment, Inc., were represented by Ellyn S. Garofalo of Venerable LLP.  The plaintiff, Elizabeth Taylor, was apparently unable to overcome evidence suggesting that she manufactured the claims after she was terminated.

“I’m very pleased with this outcome,” said David. “But this case is not just about me. I’m fighting this for the innocent men and women unfairly convicted in social media. I want to strike a blow against lawyers who cynically abuse the spirit of the #MeToo movement for personal gain.

“Ellyn S. Garofalo did an incredible job representing FilmOn and my other companies and exposing the many holes in the claims against me.  I decided to represent myself so I could face the false allegations in person and show the jury who I am. It has been an intense learning experience but I’m so happy I got through to most of them. This is just the beginning of our fight against these opportunists.”

Garofalo said: “We consider this a victory. We were one vote away from a full defense verdict.  We’re grateful that the jury looked beyond emotion to carefully consider the evidence.  We’re confident that we will prevail during a retrial if there is one.”

Based on his experience, David is now exploring ways, including the support of legislation, that would even the playing field and give those wrongfully accused of sexual harassment the fair chance to defend themselves.  He’ll work to make sure they can protect their reputations and businesses from the flaws in the system that allowed this faulty case to get as far as it did.